Ange Postecoglou only spent two years in Glasgow, but he made his impact felt.
As Celtic manager, he instantly turned the tide against Rangers, winning a cup double and a treble before moving to Tottenham in the Premier League.
Speaking to the Overlap, Postecoglou was reflecting on his first season in England, when he disapproved of Spurs fans wanting them to lose against Man City to prevent Arsenal from winning the title.
He revealed that at the time, he felt vindicated by his prior spell in Glasgow: “It was an interesting one, because you two (Ian Wright and Roy Keane) know…
“I’ve come from Celtic. No one’s going to talk to me about rivalry. I lived and breathed it up there.”
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Ange Postecoglou on his time at Celtic
Postecoglou went on: “Like, the perfect weekend in Scotland is Celtic winning and Rangers losing. Celtic winning and Rangers winning is not a good weekend.
“So, I remember the first year. We won the double, but Rangers were in the Europa [League] final. I got more text messages the night they lost the Europa [League] final than when we won the league!”
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“Of people, how ecstatic. So I understand the rivalry. But I also think there’s a point where you’ve got to stand on your own two feet, and remember who you are.”
Postecoglou, of course, went on to win the Europa League in his Tottenham days, but didn’t stay at Celtic long enough to see European success.
His first season saw the Hoops drop into the Conference League by finishing third in their Europa League group, being eliminated in the first knockout round by Bodo/Glimt.
Celtic qualified immediately for the Champions League in his second campaign, but finished bottom of a group containing Real Madrid, RB Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk.
His record against Rangers was more positive, however. The 3-0 derby win at Celtic Park in February 2022 was one of the most special Glasgow Derby atmospheres in recent memory.
He faced Rangers while at Tottenham in 2024, drawing 1-1 at Ibrox in a Europa League league phase encounter.
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Ange Postecoglou’s first summer at Celtic
Looking back on Postecoglou’s first summer transfer window, it really was one of the best in the club’s history.
The early headline signing was Kyogo Furuhashi, who arrived from Vissel Kobe and blew us all away instantly.
Carl Starfelt and Liel Abada were also in the door early, before Hart and Josip Juranovic also strengthened the starting eleven.
And how about this for a deadline day trio: Jota, Giorgos Giakoumamakis and Cameron Carter-Vickers. Looking at how our business has been in seasons since, you don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
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